Vienna Nocturne: A Novel

Summary

In the tradition of Paula McLain's The Paris Wife and Laura Moriarty's The Chaperone comes a sweeping historical love story and a portrait of an age. Vienna Nocturne is a deeply moving debut novel that brings to life two extraordinary figures-a thirty-year-old Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and a young English soprano, Anna Storace, who was his muse-in prose as spirited, timeless, and touching as Mozart's greatest compositions.

In late-eighteenth-century London, a young girl takes her first singing lessons with a mysterious castrato in exile. Her life is forever changed. Having learned everything he can teach her, Anna leaves behind all the security and familiarity of home and journeys to Naples and Venice to struggle and triumph in Italy's greatest opera houses. Only sixteen, she finds herself in an intoxicating world of theaters, nobility, and vice, overwhelmed by her newfound freedom and fame. Her first bitter experience of love and heartbreak inevitably follows.

Within a few years, Anna is invited to sing in Vienna, the City of Music, by the emperor himself. There, in a teasing game of theft and play, Anna first meets Mozart, a young virtuoso pianist and striving, prodigiously talented composer. They are matched in intellect and talent, and an immediate and undeniable charge occurs between the two, despite both being married to others.

As her star rises in Vienna and her personal life deteriorates, Anna experiences an ultimate crisis. During this trying time, her only light is Mozart: his energy, his determination for her, and his art. She, in turn, becomes his hope and inspiration, and his joy, as he writes for her some of his most exquisite and enduring arias-music that will live on as his masterworks.

Rich in historical detail and beautifully wrought by Vivien Shotwell, an author who is herself an opera singer, Vienna Nocturne is a dramatic tour de force of a woman's struggle to find love and fame in an eighteenth-century world that controls and limits her at every turn.

Reviews

A a work of historical fiction with Mozart playing a big part in the story as well as Ana Storace, an English soprano for whom the part of Susannah was written by Mozart (in real life). This was the author's first work and while I found the historical of great interest, the chapters were shorty and choppy and it seemed as if the plot was rushed. I would give this author another go-round if she wrote a good story.

This was really a lovely and readable book, even for people like me with very little knowledge of opera. I did some acting as a teen so I could identify with many of the passages outlining Anna's feelings about performing or having a stressful rehearsal. However, by far the best element of this book is it's vivid characterizations, not only of Anna but also of Mozart. Both are shown as real, multi faceted people with relatable flaws along with their astounding musical gifts. Recommended!

I like the historical setting for this book -- beginning in 1776 and ending in 1801. However, there was little said about the events of the time. I had some difficulty with the book since I did not understand many of the musical terms used. Perhaps I could have given it a higher rating if I felt more connected to the story. I felt the story was fairly one-dimensional. There was little depth to the characters. Anna was pretty flighty. I tried to rationalize it by her young age (13-16). It did seem as though she matured after going through some difficulties in her life, but then she once again showed her fickleness. The story moves throughout Europe -- Italy, Austria, France, England. Anna is a hit wherever she goes. Her voice charms everyone. The men are falling at her feet. However, she had a habit of getting involved with married men. I enjoyed the descriptive writing of Shotwell. However, the story just was not strong enough for me. At times I felt as though I were reading a Harlequin romance. I wanted more depth to the characters. I never felt any investment with the characters. I think Lidia, the maid, was my favorite character!Mozart arrives about halfway through the book. So this book was more about Anna than about Anna and Mozart. The portion about the medical treatments of the time was very interesting. I received a copy of this book from the publisher via LibraryThing to review.

Although this book did remind me somewhat of a romance novel, I still did pretty much enjoy it. The music descriptions were elaborate and lyrical. I think people may have to have a bit of knowledge of classical music and perhaps opera to really enjoy it.

I am very, very late in reviewing this book that I received as an Early Reviewer! My apologies! I was surprised to learn that this story is based on an actual opera singer who was an acquaintance of Mozart. There is no evidence that they were romantically involved but the author makes a convincing case for it. I don't usually read romance novels, but the author included a great deal of information about the era and opera which I enjoyed. The book was enjoyable and an easy read.

while i like historical fiction and it is usual fun to read made up stories of real historic people. this one fell flat. the writing style just felt too modern and could not capture thr atmosphere that should have the two lovers engulfed in music and harmony.

Vienna Nocturne, by Vivien Shotwell, is a beautiful historical love story. In the late eighteenth century Anna Storace, an English soprano, travels first to Italy and then to Vienna to further her career as an opera singer. It is in Vienna that she meets Wolfgang Mozart and, even though they are both married to others, a great love is born. The author eloquently tells their story. Rich detail takes the reader into the world of the fascinating characters. I found Vienna Nocturne to be a thoroughly engrossing and well written novel.I received this book for free through Library Thing and I give this review of my own free will.

Whenever I read novels like this, those based on real people and real events, it always piques my curiousity to know how much is true and how much is fictionalized. As a pianist, I have played many of Mozart's works, yet I know very little about his personal life. Before reading this novel, I had never heard of Anna Storace, so it was interesting to learn abut her story.However, overall I found this novel to be a bit slow and tedious to read. It took me a long to read it. While the subject matter was interesting, it took a lot of perseverance and patience for me to finish to the end.

A nice easy read with a story set in an interesting time and place. I always enjoy novels about famous historical people that give you a sense of what their life was like and how they lived. This book also gave an inside glimpse at the world of opera, although it assumed a little bit of existing knowledge. For example, it was primarily about 'opera buffa' but it never really clearly explained what that term meant and I wasn't familiar with it. The novel was primarily plot driven with a small cast of characters; there were few subplots (and the ones that were there, such as the romance between the brother and the servant girl, were really thin and predictable, so the overall story was not very complex. The writing was not especially graceful, but overall it was an enjoyable book.

Vienna Nocturne is the story of Anna Storace, a prodigious opera singer and Mozart's muse and mistress. The author, Vivien Shotwell, is an opera singer herself, and her knowledge of that world shines through. She effectively brings to life Storace, Mozart, her husband, first lover, and brother, his wife, and the other colorful characters that peopled Vienna's elite society in the late 18th century.

Without giving the plot points away, I think the ending and epilogue was a bit abrupt. I obviously knew I was getting close to the end of the book and was wondering how it was going to wrap up so quickly. It did, but in a way that told more than it showed.

I won this book from Goodreads. It's not the kind of book I usually like. I like historical fiction if I feel like I am learning something about history and the story is not a revisionist account of what motivates people that accords with today's sensibilities. So I don't tend to like historical fiction that just uses history as a backdrop to a fairly typical story line. But this book would be an exception. While I doubt it was particularly true to history, it was playful, light and fast paced. I enjoyed it while I read it. Not sure I would recommend it other than as a good diversion, but sometimes that's good enough.

Anna Storace is an instant hit when she begins her opera career. Singing with masters, she finds herself in love. When her lover leaves her pregnant, she is forced to marry lest her reputation be destroyed. Her husband is abusive and is eventually run out of town. In Vienna, Anna befriends Mozart and the two work together on severalThe book features very interesting characters and dynamic scenes. Although it moved slowly at times, the characters kept me reading. The author used a lot of opera lingo, which had me looking up words left and right. At times this distracted from the story. Overall, not a bad book.

There aren't many books that I have read that made me immediately want to flip to the beginning and start the book again, but Vienna Nocturne by Vivien Shotwell is one. I received a copy of this book through the Early Reviewer program, and thoroughly enjoyed it. I was lucky to have a mother who educated me with classical music and opera, and so I felt right at home in this novel. A beautiful work centered around more beautiful work!!! Lovely book all around.

Thank you, LT ER program, for this novel!I wasn't sure what to expect of Vienna Nocturne, but it far exceeded what I thought it would be. This first novel is a Viennese dream, graceful, exquisite, and layered, like a three-layer pastry or a Mozart aria. It is intelligent and finely drawn. I love this time in history and I have long been fascinated by Mozart's life. Shotwell takes an oblique stab at Mozart by imagining the life of Anna Storace, an English soprano in Vienna who first sang Susanna in the Marriage of Figaro. The character of Anna becomes the triumph of the novel -- I was absorbed in the life of a singer of this time, the adulation but also the uncertainties and fears of a woman living this kind of life, courting the favor of powerful people.I read this novel in two long gulps even though it is not really plot-driven. it is an inward kind of reverie, told from Anna's viewpoint, on music, love, passion, and life. Really well done.

I expected a history-heavy historical novel, and instead, 'Vienna Nocturne' was a lyrical romance and coming of age story. Vivien Shotwell refers to this as her Mozart book, but it is more a book about Anna Storace. Anna was a renowned soprano whose career took her to Vienna, where we know she encountered Mozart; in fact, it is said that he wrote the part of Susanna in The Marriage of Figaro for her. Shotwell uses the historical facts to frame her story of a passionate woman artist and a love affair. While grounded in historical details, the emotions and the story almost seem to take place out of time. I enjoyed this book a great deal more than I expected to, and would recommend it to other readers.

This book is aimed at lovers of fine opera with a splash of possible romance with one of the world's most beloved gad-about-town, yet remarkably toned down Amedeus Mozart. I don't understand the musical terminology but once the author got past laying out the premise, I found the love story entertaining. The individual characters were well drawn out and the historical backdrop was enticing. The words flowed together nicely setting a comfortable pace to disappear into history if but for a brief and shining moment.

I tried, really I did, but I just couldn't finish this one. I expected historical fiction, not a gloppy romance focused on a silly, spoiled, unlikeable girl. I struggled through Anna's unfortunate affair with Benucci because I wanted to see what happened when Mozart came on the scene. I made it past the first hundred pages before I couldn't take any more of the stilted dialogue and generally bad writing; the book is extremely overwritten. Mozart's Aria is sitting in my TBR pile. Hopefully that one will be better.I gave the book two stars for the author's research and the pretty cover.

While reading Vienna Nocturne, I noticed that the back cover features a quote from Eva Stachniak, one of my favorite historical fiction writers. This realization brought me to compare the two author's debuts, which though both historical fiction, are vastly different in texture. Reading Stachniak's The Winter Palace is like wrapping one's self in velvet: thick, luxurious, and rich. In contrast, reading Vivien Shotwell's Vienna Nocturne is like being immersed in watered silk: exquisite but light and delicate. Vienna Nocture follows the career of Anna Storace, the soprano who starred in Wolfgang Mozart's most famous opera. Shotwell's writing is a sheer, unmitigated pleasure to read. Her language is flowing, her sentences are long, with clause after clause of description. One chapter begins:"The people of Venice sang as much as they talked, sang as they worked and wooed and slept, in gondolas and barges, on market squares, lubricated by drink and company and the place itself, a city in the water that waked by night and slept by day, that prized folly over sense, and saved itself for nothing, but spent all, risked all, for beauty's flowering and pleasure's gratification."The effect is immersive. Readers will float in an atmosphere of Shotwell's creation. Long sentences glide readers through miniaturized chapters that capture the sense of a particular moment in a character's life. The narrative primarily follows Anna, but occasionally detours to characters significant in Anna's life, including Mozart. Although this conceit could be jarring, Shotwell incorporates it skillfully into the fabric of the narrative. In fact, the journey is so smooth that readers may barely notice individual events or characters.While this may not be a concern for some, to others it marks the book's only significant flaw. It is difficult to distinguish the personality of characters and to suss out the truth of events. Even Anna has no definable personality outside of her role as a diva (which seems intentional, as it is a tragedy that the book acknowledges). Instead, the opera and the music seem to take the place of the characters. Not only are the book's many musical scenes sumptuously described, but the rising of her breath and breasts, and the moving of his fingers on the keyboard, come to define Shotwell's Anna and Mozart. Both are like beautiful, ingenious instruments that the author wields on the page. Ultimately, Vienna Nocturne is a work of art--if a book could be an opera, this would be it. It is the epitome of style and grace and briefly glimpsed truths. And this must be what the classically trained author set out to achieve.But those who like their history more meaty and their characters more complex may find that this morsel vanishes too quickly, leaving a sweet but not fully satisfying taste.

We have seen the headlines many times of how a young woman shoots to stardom only to be hounded and humiliated at every mistake and 18th century Austria was no different than today. Anna Storace is pulled into the spotlight at a young age from London and whisked away to Italy and then Austria to perform for Prince Joseph's court. She will have older men to guide her and also bring her down but none will have as much power over her as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Mozart will flirt, scold, write Anna operas and best of all, keep Anna afloat during times of trouble in her life. Their love story is wonderful and the banter is refreshing while the darker side of Anna's tale will make you weep. For being so young and cast in the spotlight, Anna makes some wise political decisions and gains favor of some very powerful players at court. Vivien Shotwell takes us into a world we have not visited before - one with light, musical genius and beautiful people as well as the dark secrets they keep and the political warfare they wage. I was fortunate to read an advance of this book that will be out in February 2014.

I received this through LT's Early Reviewer group and really looked forward to reading it; however, I ended up rather disappointed. It was an OK read and I enjoy historical fiction, but I did not feel the story provided enough historical perspective and I felt the character development was rather weak. I am an opera lover and have an opera singer daughter who has sung some of the same music in Europe and the US -- I guess I just expected too much from this book.

Admittedly, this book was not my usual read. I got a different vibe from the book than I thought I would after reading the synopsis. Even still, Vienna Nocturne is a beautiful story that weaves a poetic prose into an intriguing tale of love. I found the historical aspects to be riveting, and I enjoyed those parts of this book immensely. The author injects her passion into this work, and it was very apparent while reading this book. I'd highly recommend it to historical romance fans!

Anna Storace was an English soprano who became a leading diva in Vienna from about 1782 - 1787. This book is a fictionalized biography that focuses on her life in Italy and Vienna. She was friends with Mozart and the author gives them a romantic relationship as well. Shotwell does a good job of describing the music and what it meant to Storace. Since this was fiction, I wish she had created a deeper character for Anna. She seemed to make so many bad decisions for inexplicable reasons. Overall, an enjoyable book.

This historical fiction was a delight to read. This is the author's debut novel and a superb one. It's a love story of an 18th century opera singer whose life has many twists and turns including an affair with Mozart among others. If you are a singer, especially an opera singer, you will enjoy the tours to the music capitals of Europe - Venice.and Vienna.

Four stars for this one! Vivien Shotwell's Vienna Nocturne is a beautiful, beautiful story. I highly recommend it. You will find yourself transported to long ago Vienna, listening to Mozart's music, sung by the loveliest of all sopranos, Anna Storace. Not to be missed!

This was my first book I received from Early Reviewers (Jan 2014 batch). To be honest, I would never pick this book off the shelf, but I love music and that's why I requested it.The book follows the life of Anna Storace, a soprano who often sings Mozart's operas. I usually like books set in old-fashioned times, but I found most of the book to be a bit cheesy and to have no depth. The plot was pretty good, and I understand the author tried to follow Anna's actual life most of the time, but some descriptions lacked a good amount of detail. I couldn't quite picture the scenes vividly, so it felt a little dull. My favorite parts were the descriptions of the music, which were much more detailed and very enjoyable. Overall it was a bit dull, but it was an interesting story written by someone who obviously has a deep passion for music, and it shows!

For fans of opera, "Vienna Nocturne", offers a glimpse into the legendary musical world of the Vienna court of Emperor Joseph II. Anna Storace was a gifted musical prodigy who sang for princes and emperors and was a favorite of Emperor Joseph. She was the inspiration for Mozart's creation of Susanna in "The Marriage of Figaro", and their close friendship and rumored romantic liaison is deftly woven into the storyline. Even though Anna Storace has been almost forgotten over the past two centuries, I enjoyed making her acquaintance.

I was given this book as an Early Reviewer.The novel follows, fairly accurately, the life of Anna Storage, the Soprano for Whom Mozart wrote the role of Susanna in the Marriage of Figaro.Anna is English, is trained there by castrato Ranzzini, and at 13 goes to Italy to visit her brother Stephen and perform Italian opera. She is a huge success and falls for her leading man at this very young age. At 17 she travels to Vienna, to perform for the Emperor Josef, also to great accolades. She becomes pregnant and marries John Fisher, who is abusive and not the father of the child, which does not survive, During her stay in Vienna she meets Mozart and they become infatuated with each other, which leads to Mozart writing several musical pieces for her.This book is beautifully written, the Author has a musical background which is reflected in her lyrical style. Classical music and Opera lovers will appreciate the background and history of European music during Mozart and Anna Storace's time. The fictional part of the novel, concerning Anna's affairs, is somewhat far-fetched in my opinion, but did not detract too much from my enjoyment of the book.